and, Meanwhile...

Episode Three.

Gleaming chrome-suited spiders pushed the food cart into the room, a triangular space with walls that transitioned into a dome a third of the way up. The smooth ceiling was mysteriously lit behind its opaque surface and gave off a weird, greenish glow. The table positioned perfectly at the center was a split oval, and the cart slid on tracks into the opening. It clicked into place, and the spiders - spider-like things - skittered out.  A big blackish fellow, with a turtle-ish carapace, reached out with its segmented tail to pluck a charbroiled piece from the serving board.  Two well decorated generals, human, sat on stools opposite their larger, figuratively as well as metaphorically, companion.

Saliva dripped off a fang as the diner skewered its meat. “This meat smells superb. What is it, again?” The portion was red and juicy, it dribbled, bloody and globby fat, onto the creature’s tongue as it held the morsel suspended over its maw. “Mmm.”

General Xious held a handkerchief over his mouth and nose. “This is a water buffalo, Mr. Atrocious. It is from Asia.” The general pushed a button on his baton, and gestured to the digiboard over his left shoulder. A large map of the world glowed there, and then zoomed in on Southeast Asia. “The supply is plentiful.”

 "As it should be,” said Mr. Atrocious, who had taken the name as a courtesy from the former Mr. Atrocious. “We are wanting to see all indigenous species on the rebound, of course. Not only for meat, as you well know.  Yet, we must eat, you and I, and my superiors too.” Thankfully the superiors were smaller, much so, and hadn’t anything like Atrocious’ appetite. They mostly dwelled in glasses of water, or raindrops if the urge to travel came up.

“Any advances in security?” It wolfed down slabs of meat in between queries. There were no side dishes, only the semi-cooked buffalo. A bowl under Atrocious’ chin caught much of the dribblings. “I could use a bib.”

General Xious nodded to his right, and General Li Xiang stood. She was a foot shorter than Xious, and childlike next to Mr. Atrocious. The view behind now changed to an illustration of the human optic system. “The technologies your people have brought to the earth are a godsend, Mr.” She was stone faced, with bangs that fell down to her eyebrows. Her sideburns were long on the sides, but zig zag cut in the back, falling to an inch above her collar.  Li Xiang continued, “Even with a slow release to our best engineers, we are finding new ways to improve society below. It will take time, but we come ever closer to a Utopia that alone we would never realize, not in our lifetimes.”

 “Fiddle faddle,” Mr. Atrocious delighted in colloquialisms that even these two generals rarely understood. “Your world would have perished entirely without divine interference.”

“Truly,” agreed General Xious. “The new optic ‘scouts’ are bringing in far more data than any stationary devises or even satellites. Under the guise of visual enhancement they do well for us. And the earth people get a great deal of enjoyment, too.”

 General Li remained afoot. “Yes, I have sampled them.  Here is some of my data.” From her viewpoint, a green vista of forested hills played out on the digiscreen. She panned, the whole of the forest swept over the board. Then she turned and narrowed her focus on the buildings, cars, and people behind her. Her glass and metal eyes probed and recorded. If something of interest came to view, the clarity would beckon her eye to delve in. With her enhanced optics Li Xiang could see through shadows, and around slight bends. She swept back over the entire scene and around to the forest and hills again. A black vulture circled aloft, among its committee, and she zoomed up to its hideous, bald head.

 “Ugh,” remarked the Mr. “I find that distasteful. But, the detail…”

 “…is amazing,” said Xious. “We have a team following the exploits of two enhanced travelers. They have taken every advantage of your technological gifts, Mr. Atrocious. The beautifications, the optics. Even the handy, advice giving literature. So far the mouse and cat volumes top everything on the New York Times Best Sellers List.” The spiders were back, clearing the table. Mr. Atrocious hoisted his pail and drained the sloppy, wet drippings. It dropped the bucket onto the cart and spiders removed it, clattering, from the room. The door sighed shut.

 “I am pleased. With everything. The buffalo and the surveillance. You have done well, so there will be more presents, of course, and accolades for you, as well.

 General Li Xiang climbed back to her seat and the view behind changed to the vantage point of the two vacationing men. The scene was of the night, with street lights and the neon store fronts. The screen darkened, and at first Mr. Atrocious believed there was a malfunction, but then the lights burned brighter and brighter, and it knew the cause was a regional system reboot.  The Mr’s clawed tail shivered in the radiant glow of the domed chamber.

 “What, is this?”

 Xious glanced sideways, to his fellow general. “We have found two holdouts. They don’t seem to be… receptive to compliance?”

 “Oh my.”

 The door wisped, opened, and the puff of a breeze ruffled the generals’ tightly cropped trims.  They stared straight ahead, saying nothing.

 A drop of rare, red blood fell from the black tooth of Mr. Atrocious’ fang – a grin spread across his devilish face. “Good heavens, dessert is here!”

Episode 4